Demon Alliance, Brooktegan, Sunset Plains.

A procession of carriages marched along the trade road, the guards were majestic, the carriages were lavishly decorated, and in the summer sun, the noble emblem on the carriage in the middle of the procession shone brightly—the emblem of the royal family of the Brook Empire.

With one hand pulling up the tassel curtain on the car window, Svejin Hepburn began to look out the window.

A rushing river meanders through the vast plains, and the banks of the great river are covered with dense mangrove forests, and a little closer are shrubs, wildflowers, reeds, and all sorts of animals...... This kind of wild fun is not something that can be seen in the national capital.

On the side of the road, a group of bare-bottomed children were running after the carriage, their skin tanned by the sun, waving branches in their hands that they had picked out of nowhere, and their mouths were still screaming with excitement.

"This is not Fort Falkkin, don't chase them. The Duke of Hepburn told the captain of his bodyguard: "Give them some candy." ”

"Yes, sir. The leader of the guard nodded and replied, "The sun is fierce outside, please be careful." ”

"What's there to be careful about? Sunshine is also a favor from the Demon King. Duke Hepburn laughed and untied his coat, opened the car door, and stood behind the coachman.

The leader of the guards laughed, not stopping the duke's actions, but being more careful about the roadside guards.

Out of Foxburg, out of the aristocratic circle that he had always hated, Hepburn's mood was obviously better, he put up his hands, began to feel the reality of summer, if possible, he also wanted his skin to be tanned a little. Don't mind the sunshine, don't mind the etiquette, don't mind the qiē around you. The mood is so relaxed.

"Look, that auntie is so beautiful!" exclaimed the children on the side of the road, "so beautiful! like a bride!"

Duke Hepburn sighed, bowed his head, and fell silent. Then get into the carriage.

"Is Viscount Girond's fiefdom almost there?" The Duke opened his mouth and asked the maid beside him, "When will you arrive?"

"Returning to my son, we are now walking in the fiefdom of Viscount Gironde. The well-behaved maid brought him red wine: "In a little while, after the last crossing of the river, we will see the residence of the Viscount Girondin." ”

"Then it won't be long!" Hepburn picked up his coat and slowly put it on, "Have you written to sù my mother about us getting off the route ahead of schedule?"

"Without the son's instructions, the slave did not dare to write a letter privately. ”

"Don't be so strict, you write to my mother. Hepburn looked out the window. He whispered, "That's exactly what my mother meant by letting you travel with me, right?"

"Childe ......" the maid had a look of embarrassment on her face.

"I have a good memory, I remember never seeing you, and your temperament doesn't look like a maid. Hepburn smiled slightly: "Are you the daughter of that family, why do you come to me as a maid?"

"I ...... I ......" Hepburn's smile had a fatal allure, the maid was completely lost in this smile, she felt that her breath was short, she pressed her hand on her chest, and her eyes were reluctant to leave Hepburn's face for a moment, and she couldn't open her mouth for a long time.

Hepburn looked back at her: "Is it okay to answer me? You should know that I can't accept an unknown person to stay with me." ”

"I ...... What was said. You're going to chase me away......"

"But if you don't say it, I'll have even more reason to drive you away. The Duke lifted his chin with his hand. Very sensibly analyzed the shape in front of him to the girl next to him: "I don't know what you think, but for me, I prefer to be honest with others." In other words, I don't like -- or I hate people for lying to me. ”

"I didn't lie to you. ”

"If you don't tell the truth, you deceive. The Duke of Hepburn's gentle eyes revealed determination: "Which family are you the daughter of—do you want me to ask for a third time?"

"I ...... I am ......" The maid bit her lower lip, "My name is Ellie Fran, and I am the daughter of Count Fran. ”

"It turned out to be the daughter of the Earl of Fran...... The goddaughter of the Emperor's Majesty?" Hepburn choked on a sip of red wine, which was shocked: "Miss, please forgive me for my rudeness." ”

Count Fran was an important imperial minister with a very prominent position, and he also had a good relationship with Hepburn's uncle and emperor. But because he was not in Foxburgh, the Duke of Hepburn did not meet him in person, and the Earl seemed to be a very bold nobleman.

"You don't really have to care so much about what I think, it's all I want it to be. Miss Ellie said eagerly, "You need not be burdened, I will go home as soon as the tour is over, and if you hate me, I will get off at the inn." ”

"I'm not that bad, am I? Leave a beautiful young lady on the side of the road? Give me time to think about it. Hepburn shook his hand: "Who planned this? Your father, the emperor, or my mother?"

"Yes...... The three of them decided together. Miss Ellie lowered her brow and said in a voice that could not be smaller, "You want me...... I want to accompany you on your journey and take care of your daily life...... I'm sorry, I once peeked at you from behind the pillars of the Imperial Palace, so when His Majesty the Emperor mentioned this matter, I didn't object......"

Hearing Miss Ellie's answer, Hepburn couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart, these three, no matter which one of them could not afford to offend, let alone the poor beautiful lady in front of him - in her heart, she was already much better than the average aristocratic woman, and it was precisely because of Miss Ellie's excellence that he would doubt her identity.

Looking at Miss Ellie, who was about to cry, Hepburn felt very unlucky, every time she was like this, she was obviously the most innocent, but in the end, she still had to take responsibility for the actions of others.

"Since this is the case, let's learn to face it!Let me think about it......" Hepburn cheered up and told Miss Ellie what he thought: "Miss Noble is Miss Noble after all, and we must be worthy of the honor and faith of our family, so you can no longer stay with me as a maid." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency. Miss Ellie's tears ran down her white cheeks, and she choked up and replied, "I apologize to Your Excellency for my recklessness. ”

Her face was burning and her heart was depressed. For her. Rejected by others. In particular, being rejected by the person you like is an unacceptable humiliation.

"Don't worry about it, I have an invitation to come!" Hepburn, of course, knew that the other party was uncomfortable, but he didn't mind making a bad joke: "You know, I'm -- an outdated soldier who has been swept away by the Coalition forces, and of course I have some bad habits—then, would you like to travel with me like this for a while? Feel the beauty and customs of the alliance at ease?"

"This ...... What does that mean?" Miss Ellie was a little unaccustomed to Hepburn's sudden transformation.

"That is to say, you and I are ordinary friends, and we set off and travel together, without any goal as a condition for friendship. Hepburn explained slowly: "You will be treated like a lady of your own room, a lady-in-waiting, and a nobleman...... We're friends, it's that simple. ”

"So, how do we introduce ourselves to others?" asked Miss Ellie, timidly.

"I should be a little older than you, right?" said Hepburn with a smile, "You can say you're my sister." ”

"Is that okay?"

"Of course, so be it!" Hepburn was glad that he had solved one thing perfectly: "I'm honored to travel with you, of course." I would appreciate it if you did not interfere with my decision. ”

"That's my pleasure too. Thank you for your generosity. Miss Ellie said gratefully, "Please let me continue to arrange your living arrangements, okay?"

Hepburn couldn't refuse Miss Ellie's insistence, so he could only ask helplessly: "If it were as a friend, I would accept it." ”

"Thank you. As she spoke, the carriage had reached the river, and Miss Ellie looked out a few times: "Will you accompany me to get out of the carriage and see it?"

Hepburn nodded, and stepped out of the carriage with Miss Ellie.

It was a ferry, the ferry was not large, only one carriage could pass at a time, and the vehicles to be transported were lined up, and the guards were dividing some of their men to cross the river first.

Hepburn accompanied Miss Ellie on a stroll by the river, and when the relationship between the friends was confirmed, both of them relaxed. Miss Ellie squatted down with her skirt and washed her handkerchief in the cool river water, while asking about Hepburn, Hepburn hugged her hands, looked at her white and red face, and answered without a word.

"Do you know?" When Miss Ellie asked why Hepburn was not planning to marry a wife, His Excellency said solemnly, "There is a small turtle in the river of Sunset Plains, which is only the size of bread crumbs, and will get on people's hands, enter their bodies from their skin, and suck people's blood." ”

"Ahh

"Lie to you. Hepburn smiled and picked up a handkerchief and handed it to her: "Sure enough, I was deceived! ”

Miss Ellie couldn't laugh or cry, and was about to use some of her own means to return the color, but there was a quarrel on the side of the road, and the two looked at each other, walked to the side of the road, and stood behind the guard.

―A petite man in black riding a war horse, confronting Hepburn's guards. The war horse is extremely handsome, and the horse is dressed neatly, with a black scarf on her face, and a long knife hanging from her waist, she looks very embarrassed, and only the eyebrows that are exposed indicate that she is a woman.

If it were an ordinary civilian samurai, the guards should be able to handle it easily, but the strange thing was that the noble insignia that should have been worn on the chest, but now hung on the lady's waist, the ribbon used to decorate it, whether it was the binding style, color, or angle, was arranged according to special regulations, and it was obviously not stolen or stolen......

"Miss, I've already sued you. The guards who stayed behind often traveled south and north with Duke Hepburn, had seen the world, pressed the hilt of the knife with his forehand, and negotiated with the lady without anger: "Please wait a while, we will be fine immediately." ”

"What nonsense, get out of the way of me!" the lady played with the whip in her hand, not paying any attention to the strong guard: "You have hundreds of horses and a dozen cars, Miss Ben will wait until sunset!"

Even with such bad language, her voice seemed very good, and to be fair, if her temper had not been so bad, her voice would have been more pleasant.

"We came first, we should have passed first. The guard suppressed his temper: "Everyone should understand this truth. ”

"Oh, you're saying I don't know the rules, so what, are you going to teach me a lesson?"

"I didn't mean that. If my words make Miss you unhappy. I will apologize. ”

"Apologize? You stupid fool. Dare to accuse the nobles!" The young lady snorted coldly: "Come here, let's fight it out in the way of a samurai!"

"Miss, I would like to remind you that I am also a nobleman. ”

"Look at how small your emblem is, even if it's a nobleman, it's a small noble, it's not good. The bad lady had already dismounted: "Look at my emblem, it is ten times bigger than you, and I will fight if I say it." Are you a man?"

"Miss, yours is a formal emblem, I'm a portable emblem, the noble emblem can't be divided like this......" The guard explained with some tears and laughter, when encountering such a rude miss, anyone will have a headache!

"What's the matter?" Miss Ellie looked at Hepburn in alarm: "This young lady is also a nobleman...... Shall I persuade him?"

"Are you sure you can persuade you?" replied Hepburn noncommittally.

"There is always something special going through when you travel in Ma. Miss Ellie replied with a slightly red face: "Besides, with you, I don't have to worry about ......"

"Okay, I'll be behind you. Hepburn was confident that nothing big would happen in front of him: "This guard is a right-handed knife, and you have to stand on the left side of the guard." Remember. ”

Miss Ellie nodded, and plucked up the courage to step up.

"This young lady. Good day. Miss Ellie's crisp voice interjected into the argument: "Please stop arguing and listen to me, okay?" "Ah...... What a beautiful young lady. The woman in black's eyes lit up, and she took a step forward and shouted: "Qianqian's figure appeared leisurely, where are you from?

Although she knew that the other party was a young woman, such strange words still made Miss Ellie blush on the spot. Hepburn in the back laughed secretly in his heart, this way of speaking was popular among the aristocratic women in the national capital not long ago, and was specially used by aristocratic women to tease their girlfriends.

"People...... Don't be noisy. Miss Ellie still finished her words: "Can't you discuss it well?"

"Cheng! Miss's words, of course Xiaosheng will listen...... However, the woman in black stepped forward again: "Can you know the name of the young lady? Where does the family live? What relatives are there at home -- for the purpose of a sweet marriage, let's start dating!"

"I, I, I ......" Miss Ellie opened her mouth slightly, not knowing how to deal with it, she was obviously not used to such a travelling event.

"Miss, don't panic, I will treat you very gently. The woman in black had already clasped her hands and smiled evilly: "Anyway, there is no one around, if you are not good, you will obey me......"

Even if it is a woman, it is too much to say such things to strangers, and Hepburn can no longer remain silent. He walked up and stood behind Miss Ellie, looking at her quietly at first, giving her a psychological deterrent.

"You ......" the woman in black shifted her eyes: "What is the relationship?"

Miss Ellie glanced back at Hepburn, "I—I'm his sister." ”

"Hahahahaha-" A hint of cunning that was not easy to detect flashed in the eyes of the woman in black, and she suddenly raised her head and laughed exaggeratedly: "Today is really good luck...... Hahaha!"

Both of them are a little confused, what kind of luck is this?

"Yes, it's good, my fighting spirit is starting to surge, my enthusiasm is burning. The woman in black shook her fist and announced loudly: "Two beauties, I want to eat all the size!"

Hepburn looked down and sighed, and Miss Ellie was dumbfounded.

"But your sister likes to wear men's clothes, which is a nuisance, and she is not at all ladylike. The woman in black then waved her hand generously: "Forget it, Xiaosheng is very open-minded, I will give your sister time to correct it." ”

It seems that she didn't notice who was here and who was not ladylike.

"It might disappoint you, I can't let you eat. Hepburn stood in front of Miss Ellie, and said lightly, "As for my sister, I will refuse your proposal." ”

"Why do you want to refuse Xiaosheng? I'm a glorious samurai!" a certain bad girl is still acting: "If the two sisters can't do it, it's okay to marry one alone!"

"Whether you have a problem with your eyes or not, I'm a man, and if you want to marry my sister......" Hepburn pulled his long golden hair: "The reason is also very simple, as a man, you have physical defects. ”

"You rude man!" the woman in black jumped back violently, and pulled out the long knife at her waist with a "swish". The tip of the knife pulls a beautiful arc in the air. The tone has become cold: "In the name of the noble samurai." I challenge you, and the one who doesn't dare to fight is a dog!"

"I don't fight with nobodies. Hepburn replied in an indifferent tone as usual: "Report your name and title, and if you are in a good mood, I will give you a little time." "Ha-" The woman in black shook the long knife in her hand, and the blade pulled up a dazzling light: "If you win against me, you will naturally say your name!"

"Is it better than this, if you lose, just shout ten times, 'Little life, please forgive me.'" Hepburn glanced at Miss Ellie beside him: "Don't worry. ”

"Okay - take out your weapons. Duel in a man's way!"

"I haven't used a sword for a while, and it's a special courtesy to you. Hepburn smiled and beckoned to the guard, who immediately offered him his matching sword: "I hope you can hold on to my sword for a while and don't let me down." ”

"Don't talk nonsense, Miss Ben has to rush home for dinner!" The woman in black slowly inhaled a breath, and her eyes became extremely clear: "Look at the knife!"

"The standard sword technique of the temple is not bad. Thinking in his heart, Hepburn's long sword was unsheathed.

"Dang!" and swords struck each other. stand in the air.

"You have to be careful. Hepburn admonished softly: "A cruel woman is destined to be punished." ”

"Do you think you have the right?" The woman in black didn't think she would lose: "Don't cry when the time comes." ”

"Whether you deserve to be punished or not, I will judge. Hepburn took a few steps back: "But deal with a brutal woman like you." I'm more handy. ”

"Dangdang Dang!" the two swords struck each other in the air, making an extremely crisp collision sound.

The two figures leaped in the field, and the sharp metal sound of swords clashing kept coming, and Miss Ellie was so worried that she didn't know what to do, and her head was sweating in a hurry, but the guards of the Duke of Hepburn who were watching were not so worried.

"Don't worry. A young captain of the guards standing beside her comforted Miss Ellie, "The Duke will be fine. ”

"But, this is a martial arts!" Miss Ellie didn't want to be Duke Hepburn's sister all the time, how could she not worry?

"Although it is a martial arts, there is also a very big difference in strength. The young leader of the guard said, "With the power of the Duke, he can end this contest at any time." ”

Hearing this, Miss Ellie patted her chest, and her heart was a little calmer. Turning his head to look at the leader of the guards beside him, he was startled by the scar on his face, and let out a low "ah" from his mouth - although he had seen it several times before, he had not noticed the frightening wound.

"Sorry to scare you. The watchful gaze of the leader of the guard never left the field, but only moved a few steps outward.

"No, I was rude...... Miss Ellie tried her best to hide her mistake: "Can I know your name?"

"You can call me Heaven, one of the three guardian leaders. The leader of the guard is still calm and composed: "Always ready to serve you." ”

"Are you very pale, are you sick?" asked Miss Ellie in a low voice, "I have some of the usual medicines in my carriage, if I may." ”

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Heaven replied, "My face was born like this." ”

Now that she had expressed her kindness, Miss Ellie said no more, and it was the fight in the field that attracted her the most—the man who was graceful and elegant in the shadow of the sword and sword.

"Sun Yan - Aurora Break!" the woman in black shouted, her body soared into the air, and the blade pulled out a piercing light, slashing head-on, and the sharp momentum made Miss Ellie scream.

"It can't be broken. Hepburn stabbed out with a sword, clicked the blade, and then raised his left hand lightly, and the two staggered past.

"It's a good material, it's a pity to use it for a mask. Hepburn turned, raised his hand, and gently shook the mask of the woman in black.

"Scoundrel—give it back to me!" the woman in black cried out with her pink face crimson, her eyes wide open, and her anger puffing out.

"No. Hepburn said coldly: "This is the spoils of war." ”

"You ......" raised the knife in her hand, and the woman in black was about to rush up and grab it.

"You've already lost, I'll take one more thing and go if you continue to fight?" Hepburn said in a lazy tone, "According to the agreement, what should you do? ”

"You scoundrel!" the woman in black stomped her feet, picked up her horse and left: "We'll see!"

Lord Duke shrugged and walked back to Miss Ellie. (To be continued......)